Eye Saga 4

Thursday, 18 March 2010

I have an update but the news is not what I expected.

I met with Dr Nestor at Fort Bragg yesterday. He explained that my cornea may be too thin, so I am not scheduled for PRK laser eye enhancement. Instead I have an appointment with Dr Barnes, a cornea specialist, for a second opinion tomorrow morning. He may say that since I am far-sighted in the right eye, that I’m within tolerance to have more PRK. He may say otherwise. So, I don’t know what I’ll find out tomorrow. Dr Nestor said that they will take care of me, but I don’t know what that means. I may be facing other options.

So at the moment, I don’t know what is happening to fix my eyes. However, I’m exercising faith that the docs know what they’re doing.

(I’m thinking of the passage in Matt. 6:25-34. Verse 34 says,
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Then I remember that God’s eye is on the sparrow in Matt. 10:29-31.
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
Ain’t it great!)

Let me paint an analogy. Instead of being on the military crest of a hill overlooking the valley with a great 10-mile commanding view of everything that is coming at me, I’m on the reverse slope looking at a small rise in front of me with no idea what’s on the other side. So from my foxhole, the only thing I see is a five-foot slope to the top of the hill in front of me with blue sky beyond it, because the valley in my sector on the other side is obscured by the immediate hilltop in my line of sight. (Therefore, I do not know what is coming at me.)

Here’s another analogy. I feel like I’m walking into a gunfight with only an 18-inch Bowie knife. Bowie knives are great weapons in a close quarter fight, but I’m at a disadvantage against ranged weapons like a .45-caliber pistol or a 12-gauge shotgun. The advantage goes to my opponent with the 25-meter stand-off capability of the firearms. (In other words, I feel unprepared for what I may face tomorrow. Maybe this analogy doesn’t clearly articulate my point.)

Thanks for praying. More to follow….

Eye Saga 3

Monday, 8 March 2010

I’m hoping Spring has sprung. It’s projected to get to 71 degrees on Wednesday. We’ve had at least 10-inches of snow between four snow storms in Raleigh. In comparison, my folks in Nebraska received more than 48-inches this year. So, it seems as if most of the country has enjoyed a Winter Wonderland for at least a few hours. (And people still believe the global warming garbage? Hmmm….)

I’ve had the pleasure of watching the cardinals and other birds play in the wood line behind my house while I’m having breakfast. (There’s a creek right behind the house, so about 20-feet from the deck the woods begin.) Saturday, the mourning doves were also singing. It’s neat to see how God cares for the sparrows and other critters. Just think… He loves us even more. Ain’t it great?

Yesterday, I sang for nearly seven hours. I sing bass in the choir at Providence Baptist Church in Raleigh. We sang five songs in each of the three morning services after warming up for 30-minutes. The choir practiced for an hour before the evening service. During the evening service we had an old-fashioned hymn sing. We started the service by leading the congregation for 10 songs. Then people in the congregation picked another 20 songs for everyone to sing. The service lasted nearly 1.5 hours. Meanwhile, I sang to a choir CD while I drove around town to and from church. (I live about 10-miles from church and 8-miles from work, so it’s about a 20-minute drive each way when there is light traffic.)

I have not had PRK eye surgery #2 yet. This will be a long story and you’ll see my frustration creeping into the monologue. (I’m not frustrated with the docs; they’ve been great.)

The eye surgeon (Dr Hunt) here in Raleigh referred me to Fort Bragg for more PRK treatment but he also gave me a new prescription for glasses in the interim. The eye surgeon at Fort Bragg, NC (Dr Nestor) sent me a packet to fill out. I finished filling out the mountain of paperwork about 8-days ago, but was waiting for the “permission letter” from my military boss (battalion commander at Fort Jackson, SC). I received my battalion commander’s letter Thursday. Fort Bragg only accepts the packet in person during specified hours Tuesday thru Thursday. Fort Bragg is a 2-hour drive, so I’ll deliver the packet tomorrow morning. Dr Nestor will need to do more testing on my right eye: measure the cornea thickness, map out the geography of my cornea surface, and so on before he can schedule me for PRK #2. I spoke to him on the phone last Monday, and he explained that I need to be available for at least 90-days after PRK #2 to receive all the post-op treatments and follow-up appointments. (The PRK packet said I had to be available for 1-year after the procedure, which would mean there was no way that I could meet the criteria.)

Meanwhile, Thursday (the same day I received “permission” for PRK) I spoke to my branch manager in Alexandria, VA. My timetable for deployment to Egypt is moving left. Instead of deploying in 180-days in September as originally planned, it’ll be about 90-days in June. (The reason is that my skill set is in high demand.) However, I don’t have orders yet, so I don’t know my actual report date. If my report date is early June, I am too short to get PRK #2. If my report date is late June, I can still squeak by and get PRK #2. (Do you feel the plot thickening?)

The tragedy of the situation is that with government health care, the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing. I’ve been struggling ever since I returned to the USA from Iraq in late March 2009 to get my eyes fixed. I’ve moved from base to base and with each move, TRICARE insists that I start the procedure over again. I know what needs to get done to fix my eyes, but TRICARE assumes the patient is ignorant and must have a Primary Care Physician to monitor the situation. So with each move I must start at Square #0. (I was at Fort Hood, TX for 4-months, then I moved but I did get a corneal scrape in May. I was at Fort Gordon for 4-months, then I moved but I did get a corneal scrape in September. Now, I’ve been at Raleigh for 4-months and I’m still not fixed but I do have a new pair of glasses and they help especially when I try to drive at night in the rain, which was very difficult without glasses. Meanwhile, my deployment is looming closer. I must be “fixed” or at least “see clearly” to deploy.) Here is the revolving sequence: Square #0 is registering with TRICARE for my new region and to receive my new Primary Care Physician assignment. Square #1 is securing an appointment with the Primary Care Physician. Square #2 is getting my Primary Care Physician to refer me to an eye surgeon. Square #3 is securing an appointment with the eye surgeon and getting him to refer me for PRK. Square #4 is securing an appointment with the PRK doctor getting him to schedule me for the procedure. Square #5 is getting the procedure. Square #6 is 90-days of recovery and follow-up appointments. The kicker is that I didn’t get to Square #1 here in Raleigh until January because of how broke the TRICARE system is. I negotiated and maneuvered as hard as I could using the TRICARE system, but the system failed me. (And our President wants everyone on this broke system. I don’t understand. Why? I don’t want to be, but I could be the poster boy for how messed up government health care is.)

So, my prayer request is… that God’s will be done. If He wants me to get PRK #2, He’ll need to work out the details because the details are mighty murky from my fox hole (because I’m literally seeing triple). I know He’s in charge and I’m glad He is. I’d be in a bigger mess if I were in charge, because He has perfect knowledge and knows the big picture. ;) Thank you for all the prayer. I definitely covet them.

I’m actually excited about the prospects of going to Egypt. It’s a change of scenery and not as dangerous. I’ve been in Iraq for nearly three of the last six years, so it’ll be different. (At least we are winning in Iraq, since the Bush Surge of 2007.) I’ll be working in the Sinai along the southern boundary of Israel and Egypt with the Multinational Force of Observers, so when I go to South Camp near Sharm El Sheik, I can go SCUBA diving in the Red Sea. The Red Sea is one of the best SCUBA diving locations in the world. I’m also hoping to go on a trip or two to see Mount Sinai and some of the other sites with the chaplain. The chaplain usually schedules some religious outreach trips for the troops.

Eye Saga 2

Friday, 12 February 2010

Regarding the status of my eyes, here is the latest. As you may recall, I did PRK laser eye surgery in Nov 2007. I endured corneal scrapes in May & Sep 2009 to remove scar tissue but it's still there. During a corneal scrape the surgeon used a 15-bladed scalpel to remove the outer membrane of cornea, which is traumatic to the eye.

I met with Dr Hunt, an eye surgeon Tuesday. He recommended 3 options: glasses, contacts or undergo more PRK laser treatment. Since I’m returning to the Middle East in the fall, I am requesting more PRK. Contacts are not good in a desert environment due to dust storms and blowing sand. Glasses tend to fog and fall off during high intensity activity, i.e. combat. Besides when I endured the 1st PRK treatment, it was to correct my near-sightedness so I wouldn’t have to wear glasses. My near-sightedness is fixed; I have issues with scar tissue blocking vision in one eye & causing the light to bend goofy which gives me double & triple vision.

So, I’m getting referred to Dr Nestor at Ft Bragg for PRK treatment. Until PRK #2, the eye surgeon is recommending I order glasses. Dr Nestor sent me a packet this morning. I must apply for it, like I did the 1st time with my battalion commander's permission. So, I need to get on it. You can pray that God will work out the details and that my eyes heal correctly.

Eye Saga 1

Monday, 8 February 2010

I have a praise to share.

After nearly 4-months of negotiating and navigating through the bureaucracy of the gov’t health care system called TRICARE, I finally have an appointment to meet an eye surgeon. This Tuesday afternoon I visit the surgeon to discuss what is next in the saga to fix my eyes. As you recall, I’m seeing double & triple with my right eye, which is my dominant one. I received PRK laser surgery 2-years ago on both eyes to correct my near-sightedness and developed scar tissue as a result. (My near-sightedness is fixed, which is a good thing. I fell into the 2-3% category, which have issues with scarring.) I’ve endured two corneal scrapes last year to remove the scar tissue, but still have issues. Pray for the doctor’s wisdom on recommending what the next step should be.

I Cor. 10:31

1st BCT leaders observe the battlefield

By Maj. Dave Olson
1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq – Long lines of vehicles, Iraqi National Policemen conducting check point operations, and a caravan of donkeys hauling cargo, welcomed senior leaders from Multi-National Division – Baghdad as they observed key areas of the battlefield in southern Baghdad Dec. 20, 2008.

Col. Ted Martin, commander, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, and other senior leaders met Dr. Moayad Hamed in the Abu T’shir community to check on the security situation in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad.

Martin, who hails from Jacksonville Beach, Fla., spot checked the policemen from 1st Battalion, 6th Brigade, 2nd National Police Division, as they conducted check point operations along Market Street in Abu T’shir.

Lt. Col. Troy Smith, a Culpepper, Va., native, and commander of 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div., met Martin and Moayad in Abu T’shir during the patrol. Smith’s unit is responsible for the security in Abu T’shir and is partnered with the Iraqi Security Forces that work in this southern Baghdad community.

Later during the patrol, Moayad showed Martin and Tom Lynch, the 1st BCT embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team leader, the progress of his vegetable market in the Karb De Gla area of the eastern Rashid district.

Moayad, a cardiologist and business owner from Doura, explained the progress of the construction of the vegetable market.

“I started construction of this project in December 2007,” he said.

The vegetable market is scheduled for completion this month, he added.

“There are 40 big units and 36 small units for vendors” to set-up their produce displays, he continued. The big units have a small office space built for the vendor’s use.

Lynch offered insights into some of the delays.

Moayad experienced several delays this year due to weather and the availability of building materials and labor, said Lynch, who hails from Fairfax, Va. Lynch served for 24 years with the U.S. Foreign Service.

Moayad also encountered delays in securing a building permit for his vegetable market, Lynch explained.

“There are zoning issues here, just like in the (United) States,” he added.

Maj. Kurt Geise, the intelligence officer for the 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div., explained the security situation in a separate briefing here later in the day.

About 18 months ago, Doura and Rashid experienced some of the worst sectarian violence in Iraq, with 928 attacks during May 2007, which is a daily average of 30 attacks, said Giese, whose hometown is Missoula, Mont.

During November 2008, the Rashid district experienced the lowest attack levels since the war began in 2003, with 24 attacks, which is a daily average of less than one attack per day, he continued. Attacks include small arms fire, indirect fire and roadside bomb events.
Moayad spoke about the importance of the progress in Doura and Rashid during the past 18 months.

There are many positive changes happening due to the improved security in Doura and Rashid, Moayad said. Money is being invested in the marketplaces and life is returning to normal. People are rebuilding and returning to their homes.

Martin.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq – Col. Ted Martin, a Jacksonville Beach, Fla., native, and commander of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, chats with a local Iraqi citizen about the traffic situation in the Abu T'shir community of the Rashid district in southern Baghdad Dec. 20, 2008. Martin stopped to assist a motorist after a vehicle collision on Yomamah Road in Abu T'shir.
(U.S. Army photo by Maj. Dave Olson, 1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B)

The importance of Cultural Awareness Training

By Major Dave Olson, Public Affairs Officer, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division

“Your soldiers shot and defaced the Quran,” declared Sheik Ayad Alawi al-Jabour, the Radwaniyah Tribal Support Council Chairman. “We demand that your soldiers be punished!” The dozen other Radwaniyah Sunni sheiks at the hastily scheduled meeting May 13, 2008 were deadly serious as they peered with stern faces at the American leader.

Lt. Col. George Patton (name changed for security reasons), commander, 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, was startled and speechless. What were the sheiks talking about? How should he respond? He reflected over his 22 years of service in the U.S. Army; he had never faced a situation like this.

It is important for military units to conduct aggressive and comprehensive cultural awareness training before deploying to a foreign country.

Cultural awareness training is critical to the successful completion of a unit’s mission.

Mistakes are easy to make even under the best of circumstances. One wrong word spoken or printed to the target audience or the right words taken out of context can have negative repercussions. Or one wrongful act, regardless if done in ignorance, can cause a firestorm of negative sentiment directed at the offending military unit compromising the entire mission.

My boss, keenly aware of the importance of cultural awareness, designed for our unit what many senior leaders from the 4th Infantry Division referred to as the best home station cultural training conducted before a deployment that they had seen.

Col. Ted Martin, the commander for the 1st “Raider” Brigade Combat Team, 4th Inf. Div., saw Iraq first hand on two previous combat deployments and knew his unit needed to focus on cultural awareness to be successful on the battlefield in Southern Baghdad.

Martin’s training plan consisted of four major events designed to hone the cultural skills of the unit’s key leaders for a 15-month combat tour in Iraq beginning in March 2008. The situation in Southern Baghdad from March to May 2007 was tenuous with approximately 30 enemy attacks per day against the Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces in the Rashid District.

The first event in Martin’s training plan was a three-day seminar at Fort Hood, Texas led by the Battle Command Training Program instructors from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in June 2007. The classes focused on the history of Iraq and Arab culture. The staffs from the brigade and each of the six organic battalions plus all the 31 company commanders attended. Many of the platoon leaders from the brigade and officers from an explosive ordnance disposal company, a psychological operations detachment and a civil affairs battalion, who might deploy with us, attended as well.

The second plank of the training was a week-long seminar at Fort Hood led by the contractors from the Asymmetric Warfare Group in July 2007. The target audience was similar as the first event with the addition of select noncommissioned officers, who would be the instructors for the train the trainer sessions. The NCOs would share their training down to the squad level in each of the battalions. The information taught was expanded to include additional tasks for various special teams, such as human intelligence collection teams and personal security detachments.

An additional event was the Mission Ready Exercise conducted at the National Training Center on Fort Irwin, California during August 2007 by the entire brigade, which consists of approximately 3,800 Soldiers. The focus of the training is to verify that each unit and section from the platoon-level to the brigade headquarters has mastered the primary collective tasks to be used on the looming deployment. At the NTC, the Army hires hundreds of native Arab speakers from Iraq or other Middle Eastern nations to serve as contracted role players who live at the 10 mock villages in the Mohave Desert during the two-week scenario. The role players played the Iraqi civilian leadership, Iraqi Security Forces, local vendors, farmers, enemy combatants and everyday citizens that U.S. Soldiers or Marines would meet on the street or the countryside. Every Soldier or Marine who departed the various base camps experienced what Iraq might be like by engaging the local citizens during the scripted events of the complex scenario built by the NTC’s Operations Group. (I didn’t count this event in Martin’s cultural awareness training plan since every unit who deploys conducts a MRE, but the leaders and Soldiers do learn aspects of Iraqi culture by engaging the world-class role players.)

The third event was the quarterback arm sleeve training taught by contractors of T3 Inc. in October 2007 at Fort Hood. The target audience was the PSDs and special teams who would use the device to assist them with using Arabic. The NCOs and Soldiers attended additional cultural classes, basic Arabic language training and how to use the device during a five-day session.

The fourth event was a two-day seminar taught by the faculty of the Department for Middle Eastern Studies on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin in February 2008. The classes covered Iraqi history, Arab culture, Iraqi society and Baghdad local government. The target audience consisted of the same group as the first event.

Returning to Patton, he did respond correctly to the Radwaniyah sheiks’ demands.

During the May 13 meeting, he promised a full-scale investigation to see if the offense did happen and to swiftly correct the situation if a Soldier was found responsible for the cultural faux pas. Two days later a Soldier did confess to committing the grievous act of shooting and defacing the Quran. Patton sent the Soldier home in disgrace with a reprimand a week later. Martin and Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, the commanding general of the 4th Inf. Div. and Multi-National Division - Baghdad, apologized at a public meeting and presented the Radwaniyah sheiks with a new Quran. The American leaders also promised the Sunni sheiks many reconstruction projects for their community such as cleaning the debris from the irrigation canals, repairing the fresh water pipelines, rebuilding a series of roads and bridges, furnishing micro-generation capacity, building a local government center for the community, providing 100 greenhouses for the local farmers with three farmers cooperation associations and refurbishing a medical clinic and a number of local schools. The Radwaniyah sheiks brought Iraqi media to the event, so the citizens of Baghdad saw the public apology and the people were satisfied with the handling of the situation. Several weeks later, President George Bush also publically apologized to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki.

After six months the Americans kept their promise as the reconstruction projects were completed. Meanwhile, the relationship between the Sunni sheiks and the Americans continued to blossom. Many of the Sunni tribesmen severed ties to the al-Qaeda terrorist cells, joined the Sons of Iraq program that transitioned many unemployed workers into the Iraqi Security Forces and assisted the Americans in defeating the al-Qaeda network in Southern Baghdad.

The results, after completing a 13-month deployment in Baghdad, were that the six battalions from the 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div. fared very well as the Soldiers engaged the host nation’s citizenry. The culture awareness training was one factor that helped reduce the violence levels to less than one attack per day in the Rashid District during the last several months of the deployment.

However, some battalions such as the 4th Bn., 64th Armor Regt. from the 4th BCT of the 3rd Inf. Div., who were attached to the Raider Brigade during the deployment and did not receive the same intense cultural training that we did, committed cultural mistakes and experienced challenges when working with the local population in their sectors or areas of responsibility. Perhaps, they learned their cultural awareness lessons the hard way or they had a “strategic Soldier” who caused an international incident.

Speech.
FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq – Kareem al-Kinani, the agricultural engineer, gives a speech at the Radwaniyah farmer's co-op association's greenhouse ground-breaking ceremony in southwestern Baghdad Jan. 22, 2009. Sheik Hussein Ali Alash, the co-op's chairman (left of Kareem), owns the property where the first 20 of the 100 greenhouses are being erected. Sheik Ayad Alawi al-Jabour (right of Kareem), is the Radwaniyah Tribal Support Council Chairman. Leaders from Troop B, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, attended the ground-breaking ceremony.
(U.S. Army photo by Maj. Dave Olson, 1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B)

This story is not necessarily endorsed by the U.S. Government, the U.S. Department of Defense, or the U.S. Army. The views are entirely my own.

Serving is Freedom

July 1, 2008

Maj. Dave Olson
1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B

FORWARD OPERATION BASE FALCON, Iraq – There are many types of freedom that Americans cherish: financial, religious, political and the list continues.

Growing up in a small, rural community in the Midwest, I did not fully understand the meaning of freedom until I gave mine away for a greater cause. I lived in blissful ignorance of the cost of the freedoms I enjoyed. I was aware that service members died in our nation’s wars to guarantee my lifestyle, but they were faceless phantoms to me.

When a young person joins the military, they give up their individual freedoms to provide that same gift to others. For example, when I joined the U.S. Army in the early 1980s and reported to basic training, I gave up some of my individual freedoms and accepted the values of the organization that I swore allegiance.

In basic training, I had to obey and follow the instructions the drill sergeants told me to do. I had to wear the specified uniform and show up on time to the proper location for training. If I decided to do my own thing and disobey the instructions, I would invite some unwanted personal attention from a drill sergeant.

Twenty-five years later, I must still follow the instructions of my boss or I will invite his wrath. I must still be at the proper location on time wearing the specified uniform.

Though the standards of military life have not changed, my understanding of freedom has. Instead of the faceless phantoms from past wars, I now clearly see the faces of those who paid the ultimate price for my freedom and the freedoms that my fellow Americans enjoy.

I remember the face of my friend Capt. Drew Pearson from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, who died April 30, 2008 in the Rashid district of Baghdad and Capt. Ian Weikel from Troop A, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B, who was mortally wounded near Saab al Bour on April 18, 2006. There are other faces that I know as well.

Freedom is expensive when people I know paid the price for it. However, I know they gave willingly, because they too loved freedom.

mourn.
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – 1st Lt. Erik Ogilvie, executive officer, assigned to Troop A, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, mourns in grief for Capt. Ian Weikel, the former commander, Trp. A, 7th Sqdn., 10th Cav. Regt., who was mortally wounded near Saab al Bour, Iraq, April 18, 2006. The memorial service for Weikel was conducted at Camp Taji, Iraq, April 24, 2006.
(U.S. Navy photo by Photographers Mate 1st Class Michael Larson, 1st BCT COMCAM, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B.)